The four problems of social networking (that Google+ fixed)

Last week I shared a broad introduction to Google+, the Internet giant’s latest attempt at establishing an online social network. Buzz about the new platform is still in high gear, but I came across one article from Fast Company that aims to set Google+ apart from the rest of the Facebooks and Twitters of the world.

As one of the interface designers for Google+ explains, social media has four major flaws that the new network has set out to fix:

Profiles are difficult (and time-consuming) to set up – Setting up yet another profile and set of preferences and photos and friends is a huge hassle. (G+ solution: Circles)

Video isn’t casual – Videochatting is unnervingly intimate and the social norms for initiating contact still haven’t been worked out. (G+ solution: Hangouts)

Sharing media takes too long – Even a relatively streamlined application still has an annoying bottleneck: waiting for the stuff to upload. (G+ solution: Instant Upload)

Privacy is paramount – Nearly every social media site has had their share of privacy woes. (G+ solution: plenty of sharing controls that are easy to manage)

For those of you who have joined G+, do you think Google has covered all of their bases? Or does social networking still have room for improvement?